


More Than Just Pillows

by cherrybina



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-15
Updated: 2009-11-15
Packaged: 2017-10-02 20:26:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrybina/pseuds/cherrybina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur is the last one to figure out that he and Merlin are living together. Modern AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More Than Just Pillows

Arthur meets Morgana for lunch at their usual spot. His morning at work has not been going well, so he's already in a terrible mood when he arrives, and it doesn't help when she starts grilling him about the current state of his relationship with Merlin.

"He has a key so he can get in when I have to work late. Lots of people share keys. It's a simply a matter of convenience."

"You're living together," Morgana says with a delighted grin.

"We're not living together," Arthur says, rolling his eyes. "He has a key. He stays over some nights."

"When was the last time he slept at his place?"

Arthur thinks for a moment, running back through the days in his mind, and realises he can't actually remember a night without Merlin.

"Oh my god," Arthur says, horrified. "We're living together."

After they leave the restaurant, Arthur kisses Morgana on the cheek and tells her to give his love to Gwen.

"Oh, I will," Morgana says. "When I go home tonight to the flat where I _live with her_."

Arthur vows to ignore Morgana for at least a week.

The day continues to get worse for Arthur, and he spends all of the afternoon and most of the evening frantically trying to finish a report for some very angry clients.

When he finally arrives at his flat, he's exhausted and miserable. He turns on the light and looks around the living room. Merlin's trainers are laying next to Arthur's by the door from the last time they went for a run. Merlin's laptop sits on the desk next to a stack of Arthur's files for work. Merlin's mobile is plugged into the charger on the kitchen counter.

He doesn't need to peek into the bathroom to know that Merlin's toothbrush is in the holder next to his, and that the only shampoo he'll find in the shower is the kind that Merlin likes because he's convinced Arthur that it's better.

Merlin is asleep when Arthur enters the bedroom. He's curled up on his side, burrowed so far under the blankets that only the very top of his head peeks out, a shock of black hair against the white sheets. Arthur fights the urge to crawl into bed right away and instead considers turning on the light and pulling open the drawers to count how many are filled with Merlin's clothes. He remembers clearing out some space for Merlin a while back, telling him it was better than having his clothes piling up on every available surface. At some point Merlin had offered to reorganise and Arthur had let him, since Merlin is better at that stuff anyway, and now he has apparently lost all control over his bureau, and probably his closet as well.

But it's late and his exhaustion is winning out, so instead of tearing apart the drawers, Arthur just strips out of his clothes and slides into bed. Merlin stirs and moves close to Arthur, and he's pliant and soft and so appealing that Arthur needs to shove him away just to ensure that his very valid irritation doesn't just evaporate at the first sign of a warm body.

Merlin looks up Arthur. "What's wrong?" he asks as he rubs his eyes.

"Nothing," Arthur answers, sitting up against the headboard and looking away from Merlin, whose sleepy face and ridiculously rumpled hair aren't helping Arthur's resolve.

"Alright," Merlin says, pushing up on his elbows. "Tell me what's going on."

Arthur stares at the wall for a long time, but Merlin doesn't say a word; he just waits for Arthur's reply with maddening patience. Finally, Arthur gives in and turns back to face him.

"Why didn't you tell me we were living together?"

Merlin blinks and runs a hand through his hair, which only makes it stick up even more. "I thought the fact that we were, you know, _living together_ kind of spoke for itself."

"It's just that — you should have told me, is all."

Merlin's lips quirk and Arthur knows he's trying not to smile, and Arthur wants to be annoyed at that, but he's just so tired.

"What about your flat?" Arthur asks.

"The lease is up next month and I'm not renewing it. But I haven't been there in weeks. All my stuff is here."

Arthur just nods, and despite his best efforts, he feels most of the tension drain out of his body.

"Come to bed," Merlin says, tugging on his arm, pulling him back down onto the sheets, and Arthur goes, curling around Merlin's back.

"You always steal all the pillows," Arthur grumbles into Merlin's ear, and he knows he's reaching at this point but it's true. Both of the pillows are currently tucked under Merlin's head, leaving none for Arthur.

Merlin hums, pulls one of the pillows out from under him and hands it back to Arthur. "Sorry, I just like two."

Arthur wraps his arm around Merlin's chest and pulls him close. "Yeah, well they're technically my pillows."

"Okay, Arthur," Merlin says with a yawn, and Arthur falls asleep before he can say anything else.

***

The next day, things are much better. Arthur delivers the report in perfect order to his clients, deletes four emails from Morgana without reading them, and tells his assistant that he's taking the afternoon off. He stops on his way home to do an errand, and manages to make it home before Merlin. Arthur is sitting at the desk finishing up some work when he hears a key in the lock.

"You're home early," Merlin says as he drops his keys in the bowl on the table by the door and hangs his jacket on the hook.

"I took the afternoon off."

Merlin looks surprised but doesn't say anything, and then moves into the kitchen. Arthur can hear him as he opens the fridge, mumbling about dinner and whether they should eat in or order take away.

A few minutes later, Merlin comes out holding two beers, and they're Arthur's favourite kind — Merlin bought it even though he doesn't like it. It hits him then — the beer and the shampoo and Merlin's clothes in his drawers — and his chest swells up with something that's too sentimental and silly to even try to name, but it makes him giddy anyway.

"I want to show you something," Arthur says as he stands up, grabbing the beers out of Merlin's hands and putting them on the table.

"Um, okay," Merlin answers as Arthur leads him down the hall.

Arthur opens the door to the bedroom and waves his hand toward the bed. "I bought more pillows."

Merlin is silent for so long that Arthur starts to feel foolish. "You bought me pillows?" Merlin finally says.

Arthur shrugs. "Well, I didn't buy _you_ pillows. They're just, you know. For our bed."

"For our bed," Merlin repeats slowly, looking at him with an unreadable expression.

Arthur frowns because this was supposed to make Merlin happy — he's the one who absolutely _needs_ two pillows at night — but instead Merlin is just standing there staring at him like he has two heads. Just when Arthur is ready to tell him to just forget it already, Merlin's face breaks into a wide grin — the one that lights up his whole face and shows his dimple, the one that Arthur can't seem to resist, no matter how hard he tries.

"Oh, Arthur." Merlin's eyes are shining, and for one terrified moment Arthur thinks he's going to say something else, something that will make Arthur have to turn and run, but he just grabs Arthur around the waist and tugs him close.

"They're just pillows," Arthur says, but he smiles in spite of himself and lets Merlin pull him in for a kiss.

"Whatever you say," Merlin says as he presses his mouth to Arthur's jaw, and Arthur doesn't even care if Merlin thinks he's trying to make some grand, sappy gesture or something.

They're just pillows after all.


End file.
